Nicholas R. Beaudoin
Mr. Skeldon
Film as Cultural Lens
22 October 2007
Nicholas R. Beaudoin
Mr. Skeldon
Film as Cultural Lens
22 October 2007
Hitchcock ,Auteur or Not?
What is an auteur? An auteur is a producer/ film maker who leaves a
unique stamp or signature mark in all of their pieces.
"An Auteur is a film maker whose individual style and complex control over all
elements of production give a film it’s personal and unique stamp." Hitchcock
should be considered an auteur because he left a trait or marking in all of his
films.
Hitchcock’s films were often categorized as suspense thrillers and
horror
films. Most of his films contained black comedy, meaning his dark sense of
humor. Almost all of Hitchcock’s films contain his dry slow British humor. In all
of Hitchcock’s films he finds a way to add some sort of sexuality."He would
often intertwine
a taboo of sexually related theme into his films, such as repressed memories
of Marnie in "Marnie", the latent homosexuality in "Stranger on a train",
voyeurism in "Rear window", obsession in "Vertigo", or the twisted Oedipus
complex in"Psycho". (Hitchcock: A Biography) "Hitchcockian is used to
describe the key stylistic and thematic features of his technique that have
influenced subsequent directors. His influence may be seen in the work of
many contemporary film directors."
In "Strangers on a Train" and "Psycho" and most all of Hitchcock’s films
he will appear in the movie. For instance in "Strangers on a train" Hitchcock
appears a
baggage man for a hotel. At the beginning of "Psycho" he has an appearance
outside the building the woman who stole the money worked at. He makes a
cameo appearance in almost all his films, because it is his mark or his
stamp. Another stamp he uses is his daughter. In a lot of his films he’d have
his daughter play a small role. In "Psycho" she played a secretary, and
in"Strangers on a train" on a train she played the main character’s girlfriend’s
sister. He also finds a way to sneak some sort of sexuality into his movies, for
instance what was mentioned in the previous paragraph the latent
homosexuality of Bruno in "Strangers on a train", and the high sexual
atmosphere shower scene of "Psycho." He adds a part of him in his films, by
using his keen knack for knowing his way around cinematography.
An auteur is a filmmaker who literally leaves a mark in all their pieces to tie
them together. Alfred Hitchcock is an auteur because he leaves
many different marks in his films, such as his daughter with small roles in his
films, and himself with the cameo appearances in all his movies. An auteur
brings a part of themselves and in some cases literally themselves into their
films to make the film their own. So yes, Alfred Hitchcock should be
considered an auteur.
WORK CITED
Psycho. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock. Perf. Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. DVD. 1960.
Strangers on a Train. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock. Perf. Farley Granger and Robert Walker. DVD. 1951
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